Fall on Lake Wheeler(Upper Section)

Fall is in the air and Lake Wheeler is getting ready to turn loose.Fall on Wheeler is one of my favorite times to fish the lake. There are millions of bait fish in every pocket on the lake and an angler that can adjust and ready weather patterns can "smoke em'"! Here is some of the things I look for on the lake and the baits I will always have on the deck when heading to this great lake.

To start there are several places to start on Lake Wheeler. If an angler wants to fish more of a river system type fishing then putting in at Ditto Landing is the best ramp to start. I like to use this ramp when fishing up river to save alot of time and gas. WHen you come out of the ramp you will find it's a short run to the Guntersville Dam and some awesome "drift" fishing. Anglers can pull up to the Dam tail race and drift back down with heavy weights on the bottom. Almost every pass is a sure bet for a fight. Now it might be Stripbass, Smallmouth, Drum, Catfish, or Largemouth but it's a blast none the less. When fishing high on the lake I prefer to target two types of Bass. The Largemouth and Spotted Bass are both abundant on this end but fished completly different. The largemouth, being the biggest most of the time are found in just about every small pocket and creek on the water. I look for wood more than anything to fish them. There are several types of baits I key on when searching for a pattern. I like to start off with a War Eagle Spinnerbait in either white or white/chart. with number 5-7 blades. I use this rigged on a fast 7.1 Daiwa Steez reel with a Jackall Master Stroke rod. I get in some of the bigger creeks and hit the bank. Put your trolling motor at a mid speed and start tossing the bait as close to cover as you can. I love to find laydowns and small areas where the bank is lined with stumps. I notice during high sun or presure the fish stick very tight to cover. Once you find fish in a section notice where it is in the creek(ie. in a bend to right or left, shallow side, more or less sun). This pattern will hold up throughout the entire creek area. This way you can fish areas harder and only work productive water.

Once you find the fish on the blade then you can pick an area clean by slowing down and working the area hard. I like to do this by rigging a small black/blue jig with a green pumpkin Jackall craw on a Jackall Delta Spec Flipping rod. I also like to use a Daiwa 6.3 Steez reel with Lake Fork Flourohybrid 39lb line. I slow the boat down and look for the shade side of each part of cover I can find. Sometimes you might have to hit the smae spot a couple of times to trigger a strike but the work will pay off. I find this tactic gets alot of the less aggressive fish and an angler can upgrade his limit by pounds instead of ounces.

For anglers that like alot of bites fishing for the Spotted Bass is the most productive. Now don't get me wrong alot of Spotted Bass on this lake are huge, with some pushing the 5lb mark. I like to fish for these on almost any rocky main lake point where current is present. I have found current plays a big roll in how the fish are positioned and how aggressive they are. If there is current you can position your boat on the down river side of a point and make long cast above the break. Then just let the bait come back to the boat while bouncing it off the rocks. I like to do this with either a "shakyhead" and small worm or with a dropshot. On the drop shot I use either a small(3.5) Lake Fork Live Magic Shad or Jackall Crosstail Shad. When looking for fewer but bigger bites I move to either the Jackall Muscle 10+ crankbait, jig or a Carolina rig. On the C-rig I like to beef up the bait to something like a Lake Fork Topdog Lizard in Green Pumpkin. One thing I have found that helps is drop a little of the tail in some garlic dye. This helps the fish hold on to the bait a little better in some cases. Another way to find the Spotted Bass is on docks. I love to flip docks with a Jackall Flick Shake worm rigged on a Wacky Jighead. This bait will catch fish anywhere and they can't stand this bait when it falls near them. Just find the shade lines and get the bait as far back in them as you can. An angler can also get a little extra when bonus when a largemouth hides from the sun as well.

This is just a couple fo ways I fish the upper end of Lake Wheeler. For additional tips and to see these tactics used give us a call at Fins-N-Grins Freshwater Adventures to set up a trip. I will be posting tactics on fishing the mid and lower end of Lake Wheeler in the coming weeks. Be sure to check back with us everyday. Thank you for your continued support and good fishing.

Capt. Chris Jackson
God Bless
Phil.4:13